12 hours
by kriskringle
Summary: Post election coverage and the morning after.


She vowed that she would never see him again after tonight's broadcast (luckily she assumed she was still fired). His admission about the origins of the ring had left her stunned and defeated. He'd deliberately bought a ring that seemed to have walked right out of her dreams and presented it to her for the sole purpose of reminding her of what she'd lost. He really did hate her.

Professionally she didn't know what she was going to do next but in the short-term she knew she would pack her things, take them to her apartment and disappear. She'd find some way to say goodbye to Sloan and Jim and the rest of the team (one that didn't involve seeing Will) but then it would be over.

They said little to one another during the rest of the broadcast, certainly nothing personal. She focused on her job, consumed with the minute details of bringing election coverage to the masses. Whatever brain cells she had left were spent trying to mentally disengage from him and from her life at ACN. She couldn't wait to get away. Even his speech about what it meant to be a Republican in today's climate left her cold though she could see it had been masterfully delivered.

When Will threw the broadcast back to DC she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him head for his office. She needed some time alone, away from the hubbub of the control room and the controlled chaos of the bullpen. She took her notepad to the unoccupied anchor desk and climbed up into Taylor's chair. She took a long look around, figuring this was the last time she'd be able to see the studio from this vantage point.

Will tried not to look for Mac but it was futile because that was always where his line of sight gravitated. Was it instinctive? He didn't know. Then the practiced compartmentalization of his brain started to disintegrate and he was consumed with thoughts of what the end of the evening would bring. She'd looked so sad in the hair and makeup room, so defeated. Suddenly he could understand a little better what she'd meant when she said she'd never hurt him intentionally, just as he'd unintentionally hurt her by telling her the truth about the ring. In that moment he'd only thought of telling her the truth – he hadn't thought about the consequences of doing so. He'd done it because he'd thought it was the right thing to do….just as she had done when she'd told him about Brian.

What did it mean? He knew he had to make a decision but he was mystified as to what that decision might be. Then Charlie had started nattering about Genoa and not resigning and it suddenly dawned on Will that he could choose to be happy - what was stopping him? Conceit? The pride of being wounded? He'd been stupid, so stupid. Everything that Mac had done for him over the last two years proved he could trust her. More than that, he'd halfway convinced himself there was still something between them. No matter what else was going on with them, that feeling of being connected was always in the background. He'd seen it in her eyes when he'd awakened in the hospital, when 'You were always on my mind' had played in the bar, and countless other times whenever the subject of work receded and it was just the two of them, staring at each other.

From the moment he saw her in the bullpen the day Charlie brought her back to ACN he'd known that she alone held the key to his happiness. He remembered that moment now, how he'd tried so hard to appear unaffected when all the time his heart was hammering in his chest. In that instant, despite everything, he'd known he wanted her back. He'd cursed himself for his weakness but his body knew what his mind refused to acknowledge. Then he'd tried to mask his vulnerability in a cloak of sarcasm and cutting words but the whole time he'd been gleefully telling her he had the power to fire her at the end of every week he'd been fighting the urge to grab her, bury his face in neck and tell her how much he'd missed her.

Will dragged himself back to the present. Charlie was still talking and evidently required a response so Will replied, "I believe that except for what we did wrong we did everything right and I can't live with Mac taking the blame for…' And then it hit him. She'd done one thing wrong - the betrayal - but she'd done everything else right. The rest was all him. He sat there for long moments, not saying anything. Then he was on his feet, taking the key out of his briefcase and opening his desk drawer. He had at most, five minutes to do this but he had to do it now. If he didn't he might not get another chance.

He found her at the anchor desk and he was so relieved to see her he felt the hot sting of tears in his eyes. He could not afford to fail. He pulled himself together and tried to gather his thoughts as he approached her.

Mac had no idea what was going on but she could see that Will seemed tentative, even shy as he dragged her off into a darkened corner of the studio. She wasn't exactly sorry to see him – she just hoped it would be quick so she could get back to trying to divorce her emotions from ACN. She was even more flummoxed when he started yammering about a little kid who couldn't stop shredding paper.

That had been followed by his bizarre proposal and the announcement of their engagement to most of their colleagues. Then it was time to go back on the air.

Will slid into his chair with 40 seconds to spare. 'Where have you been?' Sloan asked indignantly, glaring at him as he adjusted his earpiece.

'Celebrating,' he answered, smiling broadly. Then he actually _winked_ at her, and she looked at him like he'd just lost his mind. She'd rarely seen him smile but now he was grinning like a giddy schoolgirl. _There's no way Obama's reelection did that to him. _

Next to Sloan, Taylor was eyeing him as if she'd just unearthed some deep, dark secret. 'I knew you were biased towards Obama,' she said smugly. She started to say something more but Will just laughed.

'20 seconds,' Mac said into their ears, which brought conversation at the desk to a halt. Will stared at the camera, hoping the intensity of his gaze would somehow convey to Mac just how happy he was at this moment.

As Jim listened to the on-air countdown he couldn't help noticing the odd expression on Will's face. Though he'd stopped grinning, his eyes twinkled merrily. _What's with him? _Will had been so pissed earlier in the broadcast when he'd invited Taylor to tear him apart._ What changed? _Baffled, Jim observed Mac whispering something into her mic and then Will started grinning again, looking intently into the camera.

Five seconds later Will was all business, delivering the election results and sparring back and forth with Taylor. Only the twinkle in his eyes gave him away._ Jesus, he's practically beaming, _Jim thought. Then something caught the light in his peripheral vision and for the first time he noticed an enormous diamond sparkling on Mac's finger. _Where did that come from? _He caught Mac's eye, nodded in the direction of the ring and looked at her questioningly but Mac just shrugged, a coy expression on her face.

Don saw the look. He nudged Jim and whispered conspiratorially, 'She and Will are engaged.'

'What?!' Jim said loudly. He looked at Mac in confusion. Her happy expression morphed into a glare and she commanded them to be quiet. 'Shhhhh!'

Don ignored her. 'Just happened,' he whispered. 'Will announced it right after he said no one was going to resign.' Don enjoyed seeing the stunned look on Jim's face. Don had been surprised too, but he had known Will and Mac the first time they'd been together, had seen first-hand the love and depth of feeling between them. Jim on the other hand, had only ever seen Mac and Will at war. He'd only been witness to their screaming matches, the pain in each other's eyes as they tried to deny everything they felt for each other. Don knew Will had been destroyed when he and Mac broke up, but he also knew how much they loved each other. He was only surprised it had taken them this long to get back together.

'Are you fucking kidding me?' Jim hissed. Mac glanced over at him menacingly and Jim recovered long enough to give her what he hoped looked like a sincere smile. He followed it with a weak thumbs-up but Mac wasn't fooled. She knew he thought Will didn't deserve her after everything he'd put her through. But what Mac knew and Jim didn't is that she and Will were equally responsible (well, mostly) for the pain they'd inflicted on one another. She was just grateful they were going to get another chance at happiness.

Jim had to admit she _seemed_ happy. In fact, looking at her now he could see that the worry and fatigue of the last several weeks had dissipated, replaced by joy and ebullience. He grudgingly decided to give them both the benefit of the doubt, though he was fully prepared to try to talk her out of it if Will so much as raised his voice at her again.

Fifteen minutes later Will threw the coverage back to D.C. They had a three-minute break and only 20 minutes left in the broadcast so Charlie thought now would be an excellent time to put the celebration into overdrive. He walked into the control room bearing plastic cups and four bottles of Maison Perrier-Jouët champagne. Don took a bottle out to the anchor desk and began pouring it into coffee mugs.

'What are we celebrating?' Sloan asked Don impishly, recalling their kiss earlier in the evening.

His eyes twinkled. 'Well, you and I have a lot to celebrate, actually,' Don said, looking at her knowingly, 'but in this case we're celebrating…'

'My engagement,' Will finished.

Sloan gaped at Will and then looked to Don for confirmation. 'Did he just say what I think he said?' Even Taylor looked surprised.

'Yep,' Don said.

_Impossible. Did he just break 'Kenzie's heart again?_ Then all Sloan felt was fury. She slapped Will hard on the thigh, digging her nails in. 'Tell me you did not just get engaged to Nina fucking Howard!'

'Ouch! Jesus, Sloan!' he said, yanking her hand off and rubbing his thigh. 'Mackenzie - I got engaged to Mackenzie!'

''Kenzie?' Sloan said, once again struck dumb. She looked at Don, who nodded. 'It's about time you came to your senses,' she said. Then she looked at Will soberly, adding, 'You'd better not hurt her.' He was surprised at the intensity of her gaze. 'Or I'm coming for you.'

He nodded and looked at her affectionately. 'I hear you, Sis. And don't worry – I won't.' He started grinning again and again Sloan slapped him hard on the thigh.

'For fuck's sake, Sloan! Will you stop doing that?!'

Sloan ignored him. 'Did you get all that, 'Kenzie?' she said into her mic.

'I think we all did, Sloan,' Mackenzie muttered with embarrassment. 'Thanks for looking out for me. Now we're going to do California and then…'

Finally, the broadcast was over. Will hurried out of the studio, made his way to the control room and took Mac in his arms. He gave her a long, lingering kiss, heedless of the wolf whistles and catcalls around them. Mac's face was pink but she couldn't help kissing Will back, albeit with less passion than she felt.

Just as Will was losing himself in the kiss someone slapped him on the back. 'Do you mind?' he said, turning around to discover the perpetrator.

'Do _you _mind?' Sloan said. 'I'm not going to get that image out of my head for a week.'

Then she turned to Mac, whose face was now scarlet. 'Congratulations, 'Kenzie,' she said, pulling her into a hug and whispering into her ear. 'I'm happy for you. And I want to hear all about it.' She quickly backpedaled. 'Well, not _all _about it but you know…'

Mackenzie's eyes grew moist. 'I do know. Thanks, Sloan.'

'I'm sure you two want to be alone, so let's go get the others,' Sloan said to Don, taking him by the hand.

'Hey,' he whispered. 'Don't you want to be alone – I mean, with me?' he said uncertainly.

She looked at him thoughtfully. 'Maybe later, babe. I haven't decided what that kiss meant,' she said. Don rolled his eyes and allowed Sloan to lead him to the bullpen.

Hang Chew's was staying open for the team but Mac and Will begged off, saying they were tired. No one believed them but they allowed them to leave, shouting congratulations and whistling. Mac and Will took the car back to his apartment, fingers intertwined but speaking little, both lost in their own thoughts.

His hands were trembling as he unlocked the door. He pulled her inside and lifted her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. Her eyes were dark with desire, and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Then her hands were in his hair and she pulled him down into an ardent kiss, full of all the passion she hadn't been able to express at ACN. Not that she hadn't wanted to but she'd never been one for public displays of affection – even when she and Will were together the first time. There'd been hand-holding and palms on the small of each other's backs, but their kisses never went beyond a peck on the cheek.

They'd learned early on that their passion was best served by letting it build up over the course of the day and giving it free reign at night. By the time they made it home most nights they were so hot for each other they'd have to head straight for the bedroom, only alerted to the fact that they'd missed dinner by the sound of their stomachs rumbling.

Will was thrilled to discover that nothing had changed. He dutifully asked if Mac was hungry but in answer she only grabbed his hand and half led, half dragged him to the bedroom. They made quick work of undressing each other, languidly caressing each other's bodies. Then instinct took over and they came at each other ferociously. What followed was a kinetic dance of arms and legs and exquisite pleasure. It was like coming home, a dreamlike reawakening of Will's senses. Although he'd dated since they'd broken up, he'd never been able to replicate the utter joy he felt when making love to Mackenzie.

Truthfully, she was the only person with whom he had ever actually made love.

With anyone else sex had been fun, sometimes exciting, but it was never the kind of all-consuming connection he'd felt with Mac. And after they broke up, no one had even come close. It was one of the reasons he'd hung on to his fury: she had literally ruined him for anyone else.

Mac was still stunned from the events of the evening but she pushed all other thoughts from her mind and concentrated on the indescribable pleasure of finally being allowed to express what she felt for him. God, she had missed him. Missed them. She clung to him tightly, never wanting to let him go as he kissed his way down her body, stopping momentarily to examine the scar on her abdomen. She ran her fingers through his hair as he studied it, and moaned as he placed a delicate kiss around its outline. Then he looked up at her, his eyes bright with unshed tears, unable to forgive himself for sending her into harm's way. She gathered him into her arms and kissed him softly, gently biting his bottom lip as she ground her pelvis against him. He rained kisses on her throat and neck and re-started his descent down her body but she grabbed his head, trying desperately to pull him back up. 'Please, Billy,' she said raggedly. 'I need you. Please.' She'd waited so long, cried so many tears over this man, that nothing else mattered but getting him inside her, of melding with him at last. She pressed her lips against his, parting his lips with her tongue, slaking her thirst with his saliva.

Pulling back, he gazed deeply into her eyes. Then he entered her. A gasp of astonished pleasure left his lips as he realized their bodies fit together exactly as he'd remembered. They moved together fiercely, eyes locked and nursing on each other's tongues. How had he survived the last six years without this? Pleasure radiated from every cell in her body and her climax, when it came, was nothing short of rapturous. As he felt her clench around him he came harder than he'd ever come in his life, crying out her name. 'Oh God, Billy, I love you so much, so much,' she whimpered, clutching him to her. 'I love you too, Mac,' he echoed hoarsely, peppering her face with tiny kisses. This was who he was, who he wanted to be. And he could only be that man with her.

He lay on top of her, breathing heavily, and she ran her hands lightly down his back as she luxuriated in the warmth of his body. She realized that for the first time in years she didn't feel as if a part of her was missing. He lifted his head and gently pressed his lips to hers, putting all the love he felt for her into his kiss. Her eyes grew moist and she kissed him desperately, murmuring his name. Then she felt him growing hard within her and slowly, reverently, they made love again. Afterwards he rolled off her, gathered her into his arms and they fell asleep, limbs tangled in one another's. They both slept more soundly than they had in six years.

The next morning he awakened to the sound of rain. He wasn't ready to open his eyes - thoughts of last night crowded out all others and he just wanted to savor them but finally he was ready to greet the day. He prepared to pull Mac back into his arms but when he reached for her she wasn't there. His heart started beating frantically. Had last night been a dream? He looked at the floor but didn't see any evidence of the clothes he'd stripped her of in the night. There was nothing on the bedside table, no jewelry, no phone, nothing to indicate the night had been anything other than a dream.

'Mac!' he called urgently, swinging his feet over the side and jumping out of bed. 'Where are you?!' he yelled, his voice quavering.

'At the door, Billy,' came her voice from the foyer.

'Oh, thank God you're still here,' he called, automatically pulling on his boxers and racing to the front door. 'I was afraid last night was a dream. What are you doing…' he stopped when he heard her talking to someone. When he peered around the open door and saw who it was, he was glad he'd had the presence of mind to clothe himself, however scantily. 'Hello Nina.'

'Will,' she said. She gazed at him appreciatively. He looked tired but more relaxed and at peace than she'd ever seen him. The frown lines above his eyes, the ones she'd assumed were permanent, were gone. Though he spoke to Nina his eyes were on Mackenzie and the expression Nina saw in them, full of love and longing, made her realize she herself had never had him, that she never could have had him. He would always belong to Mackenzie. Of course she'd always known that, but she'd allowed herself the tiny hope that if they spent enough time together perhaps he'd be able to unearth the taproot of what he felt for Mackenzie and fall in love with her instead. She realized now she'd never stood a chance.

'If I'd known you were here I probably wouldn't have said that,' he said, slightly embarrassed at the way his voice had quaked when he called out for Mac. 'A quarter of it at least. The first part anyway. Oh hell, maybe I would have. Frankly, I'm so happy right now I'd say anything to anyone,' he gushed.

'Billy,' Mac put a warning hand on his arm.

He smiled at Mac and she raised her eyebrows. 'Right. Too much information.' Turning to Nina, he attempted to adopt a neutral expression, though the crinkling around his eyes gave him away. 'What can I do for you, Nina?'

Mac watched Will try to keep it together. She was pissed as hell he'd slept with Nina Howard but she wasn't going to show it.

'I'll let you two catch up,' she said. 'It was nice seeing you again, Nina.' Mac said, and headed for the kitchen. He turned to watch Mac go, as if to convince himself she really was here, and that it hadn't just been a dream. As he saw her pick up the kettle he reluctantly turned back to Nina.

'I came to congratulate you on your election night coverage. And to confirm a rumor I heard this morning,' Nina said.

Will tried to focus on what Nina was saying but he simply couldn't concentrate. He just wanted to be in the kitchen with Mac, drinking coffee and reading the paper with her in his lap. 'You know, Nina, now is really not a good time. We have to be in the office in an hour … and I still have to get dressed so …' Maybe he had time to get Mac back in bed before they had to be in the office.

Nina could tell his mind was elsewhere, but she went on anyway. She needed to make him see how this would look. 'Actually, I don't need confirmation anymore. Look at you, Will. You're practically giddy. I saw the ring,' she said slowly, nodding towards Mac. ' I know you're engaged.' She hoped she'd successfully kept the hurt out of her voice.

That jerked him back to the present and he looked at her intently. He felt guilty because he'd known he had no right getting mixed up with her in the first place. He'd known at the time that his heart would always belong to Mackenzie but he'd been hoping that if he acted like it didn't his emotions would fall in line.

He stepped back, allowing the door to open further. He could see the pain in her eyes but he wondered what she was really doing here. Despite her gossip columnist status, he did respect her journalistic instincts. She wouldn't be here if she didn't have something important to say.

''Is this on or off the record?' he asked tentatively.

'Off - for now. I came here as a friend, Will. You know how this is going to look, right?'

'Like I finally pulled my head out of my ass and decided to stop being miserable?' he said without thinking, mentally kicking himself when he saw the hurt in her eyes. _Jesus, I really need to turn my filter on._

Sighing, he said, 'Look, I'm sorry - why don't you come in for a minute….let me put on some clothes and we'll talk.' He opened the door more widely to let her pass. He led her to the living room and motioned for her to sit on the couch.

'Be right back,' he said to her. To Mac, he said, 'Nina's going to stay for a minute. I'm just gonna go put on some clothes.'

Before she could stop herself Mac said, 'Why go to so much trouble, Billly? It's nothing she hasn't seen before.' Will blinked and stopped in his tracks. Turning back to Nina he said, 'You know what, can we talk about this later?'

'It's fine, Billy. I was joking,' Mac said quickly. Will didn't look convinced but he was worried about whatever Nina was about to tell him. Resigned, he went to his room to change, leaving Mac and Nina alone.

'Would you like some coffee or tea?' Mac asked her briskly, pretending it wasn't awkward as hell that two of Will's lovers were stuck in the same room together while the man in question was getting dressed.

'No, thanks,' Nina said. _Will must not have told her I lied about the voicemail. She wouldn't be offering me coffee if he had._

Nina waited uncomfortably in the living room while Mac got eggs from the refrigerator. Nina was relieved when Will came out, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt.

'OK, what's what going to look like?' Will said, hoping to get this out of the way quickly.

'You and Mackenzie getting married right before a civil suit is filed.'

He nodded in understanding.

'So you know what I'm talking about?' she queried.

'Spousal privilege,' Will said. Mac stopped buttering toast, a pained expression on her face.

'Yeah, I know,' Will said evenly. 'But Rebecca's working on getting Dantana's suit dropped and even if she can't I don't care.'

'You should care, Will. You're a prosecutor.'

'Look, Genoa happened before we got engaged. Even if it didn't New York doesn't recognize the spousal immunity privilege.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. Look, I appreciate your concern but I'm not gonna worry about it until I have to.' He stood up. It was obviously time for her to leave. Just then he heard his cell phone ring in the bedroom. He excused himself and went to answer it.

'Are you sure you won't stay for breakfast?' Mac said. She felt guilty about her earlier remark. It couldn't have been easy for Nina to find out Will was engaged to another woman.

Nina looked at her seriously. 'Don't be nice to me, Mackenzie.'

'What?'

'Ask Will what he said in the voicemail.'

'Why? You already told me.'

'No. Ask him.'

Without another word, she left.

A few minutes later Will walked back to the kitchen. 'Thank God you're still here,' he said.

'Why do you keep expecting to find me gone?'

'I don't know – I just don't want you to be gone. Ever again,' he stammered. 'Uh, that was Charlie. He says we don't have to come in tonight. Apparently Sloan thinks I cut her off too much last night and she wants a do-over or something. Don's going to produce.'

Mackenzie's expression was inscrutable. Something was obviously troubling her.

'Look, I'm sorry about Nina,' he said, pulling her into his arms. 'That's not the way I was hoping to spend this morning.'

'What did you say in the voicemail?'

'What?'

'Tell me. What did you say in the voicemail?'

Will sighed and looked into her eyes. 'I said, 'Hey Mac, it's me. Look, I'm not just saying this because I'm high: I've never stopped loving you.' Mac gasped. 'And then I said something like, 'If you don't feel the same way, you don't have to mention it, just don't call.''

'And you thought I didn't call because I didn't care. That's why you brought Brian in. To punish me.'

He nodded, suddenly ashamed.

'Oh, Billy.' She said, tears in her eyes. 'Why didn't you tell me?!' Her voice was thin with fury. 'How could you do it? We missed another year together. A _year_!'

'I know, Mac. I'm sorry.'

She steeled herself and pressed further. She had to know everything. 'Even when you found out I hadn't heard the message you still wouldn't tell me. Why?'

'I don't know – I still wasn't sure how you felt and by then I'd sort of locked myself into it.' He sighed miserably. 'As long as I didn't know for sure I could pretend there was a chance you still cared.'

'You are such a _jackass_, Will!' she shouted. 'After everything I put up with, how could you not see that I was in love with you?'

'Well let's see, Mac – could it have been the fact that you had a _boyfriend? _Gee, what was his name?' He snapped his fingers as if trying to remember. 'Oh, yes, I remember now. His name was _Wade_. Or that you beat me senseless with a magazine when I was in the hospital?' his voice was getting louder and he was getting more agitated by the second. Then he stopped. 'Mac, we can't undo the past! Why are we fighting?'

'Because I don't know if I can believe you! Why now? Why after everything did you ask me to marry you?' her voice broke and she couldn't stop the tears. 'You bought that ring just to hurt me, refused to tell me what was in your voicemail just to hurt me. How do I know you didn't fucking _propose_ just to hurt me?'

'Oh, Mac,' he said, all the fury gone. He hated what he'd done to her, felt so ashamed that it had even occurred to her that he could have asked her to marry him just to hurt her.

'You want to know why now? I'll tell you. I was afraid that you were going to walk out of my life forever last night and I couldn't let that happen. Not again.' He looked at her imploringly. 'I couldn't survive if I lost you again, Mac,' he said, his voice breaking. 'And last night I realized I had a choice to make. I could let you go and stay safe but miserable or I could take a chance on you hurting me again, tell you just how much I love you and maybe, if I was incredibly lucky and you said yes, be happy. I've always loved you, Mac. Even when I was trying to pretend that I didn't it's always been you. Always. You have to believe me.'

She stroked his hair, and kissed him tenderly. Relieved, he gathered her into his arms and rocked her, kissing her hair. She spoke against his chest. 'I do believe you, Billy.' She pulled away and looked at him intently. 'But you have to promise me something. Promise me that you will never again assume you know what I'm thinking when it comes to how I feel about you. Promise me that if you have any doubt you will ask!'

'I promise, Mac, I promise.'

'Damn right,' she told him. 'Now get your arse in the bedroom so I can work off some of this anger.'

'Yes, ma'am,' he said as he let her lead the way.


End file.
